Second City delivers pointed satire to packed Finney

Live from Oberlin, it was Saturday night! As part of Orientation Week, the touring company of Chicagoıs legendary comedy troupe, The Second City, paid a visit to Finney Chapel last weekend. The energetic six-member troupe received much applause during their two hour performance, seemingly taking as much pride in audience participation as in their well-timed improvisation.

The Second City originated in Chicago and has produced such notable alumni as Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Mike Myers and Chris Farley. The troupe, now recognized as a major springboard for American comic talent, came together in 1959, and has since become a theatrical sensation, serving up political and social satire in the form of sketch comedy. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Second City has now expanded to a network of theaters that offer workshops, inner-city outreach programs and made-to-order comedy by the touring company.

Saturday nightıs performance at Finney left nothing to be desired. The troupe addressed politics, consumerism and sexual taboos in sketches featuring expert comic timing. A standout scene included one in which Noam Chomsky, the radical leftist social critic, moonlights as a grade-school substitute teacher. Chomsky, portrayed by Al Samuels, patiently explains to students why Thanksgiving is actually a celebration of genocide. Subsequently, he encourages the kids to rebel against their school.

Second Cityıs ability to find hilarity in what other troupes might consider off-limits was evident. This was particularly true in a scene that featured two government investigators reviewing the Kennedy assassination and discovering hidden debauchery in the Zapruder film. This sketch appeared intent on deflating the sensationalism of the assassination, a subject considered taboo for comedy.

Some of the more off-color sketches seemed slightly overextended, though. One of the first scenes dragged, portraying an employee informing his boss that he had been proven ³legally retarded.² With all its flaws, the scene offered a well-honed performance by Stuart Ranson as an annoying boss.

A similar situation arose in a sketch about a foreign dictator being visited by American diplomats. The dictatorıs despotism was exaggerated for moments of inspired dark humor, while his subservient wife, played by the wonderfully manic Samantha Albert, functioned as a footrest.

Eventually the absurdity outlived the satire, and the audience was left behind.

While not every scene was a gold mine of comedy, Second City saved the best for last. The final sketch depicted one of Chomskyıs students as an adult who leaves everyday comforts for a fling with the Target employee of his dreams. As the sketch wound to a close, Second City troupe members rallied the audience against consumerism and complacency.

The audience responded with a jolt, encouraging the troupe members to run around, scissors in hand, seizing Blockbuster Video cards and cutting them to bits. This scene, as well as the terrific improv games that followed, engaged the audience directly to make the experience more immediate ‹ not to mention funnier ‹ than most comedy on television or film could ever be.